Roughly four days ago I received my new iPhone 4 via a simple plain brown cardboard box from FedEx. I knew it was arriving because I had been watching the tracking number just about every day since I pre-ordered the new iPhone 4 on June 15, 2010. Once I had the new device in hand I had to wait to activate because I use my home iMac as my main iTunes connection for my iPhone. I only had to wait about 6 hours and 53 minutes from the time I got the new iPhone 4 until I got home, but who’s counting anyway .

I already was familiar with iOS4 as I downloaded the Gold Master from the iPhone Developers Connection. Tara and I have access to some cool pre-release items from Apple via our developers agreement. In case you did not know, we developed an app called Gamble Track, check it out if you are interested in tracking your gambling. I was not familiar with the hardware for obvious reasons and that is where I was really surprised. Most of this review will be hardware-based but I will also touch on certain iOS4 elements that are very useful and welcoming.

The Hardware

Size, shape, and feel

The size of the new iPhone is about the same as the 3Gs version. Actual dimensions can be found at Apple’s website but the overall length and width is about the same. The iPhone 4 is a bit thinner and you can definitely feel the square edges when holding the phone. I did like the rounded shape and feeling of the 3Gs so holding the new iPhone 4 will take some time to get used to the square edges. It appears to feel like the weight has not changed much but I do feel like I am holding a very expensive piece of crystal glass and I am even more paranoid of dropping this thing that I was with the 3Gs.

Screen Display, Speed, and Responsiveness

All I can say is wow! The screen is amazingly beautiful and it is by far the best looking screen I have seen on any device (computer, monitor, HDTV, etc). Yes, better than an HDTV image. Fonts are very smooth and easy to read even when they are very small. I am looking forward to Apple integrating this new “Retina” display into their MacBook and iMac lines. Imagine this display at 30″?! Speed, this thing has speed. I am always amazed at how technology grows at an alarming pace. The processor in this iPhone 4 is probably faster than some Netbook computers, and I have to remind myself that this thing is a phone. Obviously we know that the iPhone is more than a phone, but many do use it to make calls and text other people. I have noticed that many of my apps open quicker and respond faster. For example, checkins on Foursquare are faster. In theory they should not as the location is still being downloaded from the cloud, but it just goes faster and I like it!

The Camera

Finally a 5MP camera for the iPhone. I am not sure why it was not a 8MP or 10MP, but I am sure there is some reason for it. Perhaps it has something to do with the 720p HD video recording capabilities. I posted some samples below of pictures and video taken straight from the iPhone. I uploaded these to Flickr at full quality so you can click on the images to the image on Flickr. Once on Flickr, you can view the original size by clicking on the picture and selecting “View All Sizes”.

Here is a sample of the new 5X digital zoom

Here is a sample of “tap to focus”, the first image is focused on the foreground, the second image is focused on the background.

Here is a picture of my shed.

Here is a sample video. Make sure you watch it in 720p HD, click play and then select 720p because sometimes YouTube defaults to 320p at first.

Buttons, Speakers, Mic, Antenna, Etc.

So far I really cannot tell any difference between this iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3Gs. The buttons are in the same spot, volume is decent, mic is good, and so far I have not had any reception issues that many people are complaining about.

iOS4

FaceTime

Video chat with other iPhone 4 users. Wow. So far this service has its issues. I have tried this with only 2 other people and each time we got booted off due to network issues or something. In order to use FaceTime, each person needs to be using an iPhone 4 and have a WIFI connection. I bet AT&T will allow FaceTime to happen over the 3G network soon enough, but for now this little feature seems very promising.

Folders

What I like about folders is that every app I have can now be organized in a way that I prefer. Before I tried to have a page of apps for all of my apps that were similar in nature but you were limited to the number of pages on previous OS versions. Now I have 2 screens. The main screen has all of the apps I use almost every day (Calendar, Contacts, Photos, Camera, App Store, Maps, Settings, Navigon, Clock, FourSquare, Facebook, and Twitter). On the second screen I have folders named according to category or purpose. For example I have a folder called “Vegas” which has all of my apps I use while in Vegas. I have another folder called “Food and Bev” which is filled with apps like Velvet Vine, Wine Ratings, Wine Notes, Chipotle, and Starbucks), plus many more folders to keep my app-life organized. I really like folders, I think it will help all iPhone users better organize their app-llife.

MultiTasking

Another cool feature that comes in handy is multitasking. I now can listen to Pandora while checking email and sending a text. Not all apps are ready for multitasking like Navigon and Facebook (and many others) but once they are, it will be nice to hop between apps and not have to worry about quitting and restarting each time. I have noticed that some apps will hang and cause some issues so an easy way to quit them is to tap and hold down on the app for a few seconds while in the multitasking feature and then choose the “-” button to kill the app.

I am sure there are many other features I am missing but I have only had the phone in my hands for about 4 days. So far I am not unhappy I purchased this device at all even though many of the new features in iOS4 are available on the 3Gs. I always need to have the latest technology in my hands, and this new iPhone 4 is certainly no exception.

I look forward to the iPhone 5 from Apple someday soon (probably in June of 2012…)